Savannah’s process of selecting the architect for a cultural arts center is being questioned after a list of three finalists drew complaints and was subsequently expanded, according to city officials and the potential contractors.
Inquiries into the matter have netted two tight-lipped aldermen, one council member who did not return phone calls and at least two confused architects.
City Manager Stephanie Cutter describes the matter as a staff error.
The owners of two of the three initial finalists said they were surprised to learn on May 3 that nine other companies had been added for further consideration.
The news came one week after the city’s purchasing department had notified the three companies that they were finalists for the interview stage of the process.
By that point, the applicants had invested thousands of dollars in proposals for the project.
The latest round of submissions followed the city’s third request since last May for proposals after two previous requests were pulled. The city has had problems settling on a location and scope for the project before the current plan to locate the facility next to the Civic Center was conceived.
Don Cogdell, principal of Savannah-based Cogdell and Mendrala Architects, said the short list’s sudden expansion was “highly unusual” and had never occurred during his 30 years in business.
After spending about $25,000 so far, his company is getting ready to spend more ahead of the interview scheduled for this month, Cogdell said.
“We like our chances a lot better when it’s one of three, rather than one of 12,” he said.
Paul Hansen, principal of Savannah-based Hansen Architects, said he was also disappointed after learning of the expanded list. Cogdell and Hansen said they were not given an explanation for the change.
“To go through this, it’s just discouraging,” Hansen said, adding that it would be difficult to interview so many firms.
The confusion comes after the city published a “Shortlist Notification” on April 26 listing the two companies, along with Minneapolis-based Hammel, Green and Abrahamson.
On April 29, Molly Dilbeck, assistant director of purchasing, sent an email to all of the firms in the running notifying them of the three companies that had been selected for further consideration.
On May 2, Cara O’Rourke, Savannah architectural coordinator, gave the three short-listed proposals to Carla Byrd, who oversees the city’s minority and women-owned business enterprise program.
On May 3, the city published a new “Shortlist” for the project that included an additional nine firms.
Two City Council members said Monday they were not aware of the change but there had been complaints after the original shortlist was published.
Alderwoman Carol Bell said there were concerns from the community about some qualified firms being excluded.
Mayor Pro Tem Van Johnson said he had heard some people with a “vested interest” had been upset because no African-American contractors were included on the initial shortlist.
Bell and Johnson said they did not raise those concerns with any city officials or have any involvement in the selection process.
Alderwomen Estella Shabazz and Mary Osborne, who said she did not want her “privacy invaded,” declined to comment on any concerns regarding the firms selected for the initial list. Alderman John Hall did not return calls made May 3, Monday and Wednesday seeking comment.
Alderman Tony Thomas said he had not heard of any concerns about the shortlist and was not aware of the issue. Thomas was concerned about the lack of clarity regarding the project, which has been “botched from the beginning” and said a council briefing on the matter is in order.
Alderman Tom Bordeaux said his initial concerns have been addressed after meeting with Cutter to discuss the matter. While unfortunate, he said he understood that the publication of the initial list was a mistake that was corrected with the expanded list.
“It’s better to correct an error than let it remain,” Bordeaux said.
Alderwoman Mary Ellen Sprague said she heard a similar explanation that the proper steps were not taken and more interviews were supposed to be held before the shortlist was issued. Sprague said she did not hear anything about complaints regarding the lack of African-American firms on the list.
“That is not what I heard from the administration or the mayor,” she said
The initial list was published after an evaluation committee comprised of city employees scored the proposals based on experience and other factors. The three companies listed were the firms that received the top scores.
Prior to the initial list’s publication, the purchasing department discussed setting up interviews for the three firms, according to emails obtained through an open-records request.
After the list’s publication, O’Rourke sent an email informing Purchasing Director Joy Kerkhoff that one of the firms wanted to know why they were included on the short list. Kerkhoff informed O’Rourke that they could not reveal any information about the selection until after an the contract is awarded.
Mayor Edna Jackson said she was not familiar with the matter and referred initial inquires to the city manager. Jackson could not be reached for further comment on Friday.
Cutter, who was not part of the evaluation committee, said the purchasing department had gotten stuck on a clause requiring a “minimum” of three finalists.
It was her intention from the beginning that the city meet with as many qualified contractors as possible — even if that means it will take longer to select one, Cutter said.
“This is not something I want to rush through,” she said.
The city has set a goal for minority and woman-owned business participation, Cutter said, but the race or sex of the contractor’s owner is not the main concern.
“My top consideration should be who is qualified to do the job,” she said.
ABOUT THE PLANNED CULTURAL ARTS CENTER
The cultural arts center is being planned for a site across from the Civic Center at Montgomery Street and Oglethorpe Avenue. The facility would replace the Gallery S.P.A.C.E. on Henry Street — which the city leases — and provide expanded space for performances, exhibits and community classes. Construction is estimated at about $20 million, which will be paid for with special purpose local option sales tax revenue.
EXPANDED “SHORT LIST” NOTIFICATION
• *Cogdell Mendrala / Holzman Moss Bottino
• Dawson Architects / Schwartz / Silver
• Gantt Huberman Architects
• Garden Spencer Smith Tench & Jarbeau
• Greenline Architecture / The Freelon Group
• Gunn Meyerhoff Shay / CJMW Architecture
• *Hansen Architects / Bund Partnership
• *HGA with Sottile & Sottile
• Kern-Coleman / Designel
• LS3P Associates with Lominack Kolman Smith
• Perkins and Will
• Praxis 3 / Work Architecture
* On initial “short list”